WWE star Nikki Bella finally addresses Stephanie Vaquer name flub

After getting roasted online for her pronunciation of former WWE NXT Women’s Champion Stephanie Vaquer, Hall of Famer Nikki Bella has addressed it.

She discussed it on her recent podcast with her sister, Brie Bella (around 4 minute mark). Nikki explained that she asked Vaquer how to pronounce her name, and she wanted to give it a “Latin presence.”

“I had stopped you in the hallway just because I wanted to say it with a Latin presence; I wanted to give it that spice,” she explained. “And then with nerves — I kept asking the writers [and] commentators, ‘How do I say it again? ‘Cause I don’t want to get this wrong. And then I go out there, and I try to say it with a little spice.”

Vaquer gave Bella grace for her mixup. She acknowledged that her name can be “difficult” to pronounce. Expect Bella to get it right next time.

Why did WWE star Nikki Bella mispronounce Stephanie Vaquer’s name?

The reason Bella even said Vaquer’s name was to give her her flowers. Bella came out to announce Evolution 2, the second iteration of the all-women’s PLE. During her promo, she gave a shout-out to various stars, including Vaquer.

Vaquer is one of WWE’s top rising stars. During her time in NXT, she won the Women’s Championship and Women’s North American Championship.

She has since been promoted to the main roster. Vaquer is on the Monday Night RAW roster, and she is coming off a busy weekend in early June. Vaquer wrestled at Worlds Collide on June 7, 2025, before competing in the Women’s Money in the Bank ladder match later that evening.

Bella’s promo was seemingly setting up a program between her and Liv Morgan. Morgan came out and took offense to Bella failing to name her during her list of shout-outs.

However, the following week, Morgan was injured during a match against Kairi Sane. She hurt her shoulder, and it appears she may be out of action for the foreseeable future, meaning she may miss Evolution 2.

So, we will see what WWE has in store for Bella. She is seemingly back in some capacity, and perhaps Vaquer will challenge her to a match.